Stephi Motal, AIA is an award-winning Texas Architect with over 29 years of experience. She prides herself on listening carefully to her clients, helping them prioritize their needs and delivering carefully crafted designs that balance all project constraints and opportunities.
Stephi now serves as Managing Partner for Black + Motal Architecture and Urban Design (formerly Black & Vernooy), a company she joined as a high-school junior in 1996. At that time, Stephi was determined to become a well-rounded architect, she quickly familiarized herself with every aspect of the firm, gaining invaluable experience in a variety of skills. She worked closely with all aspects of the practice and studied design archives dating back to the late 1960’s. She quickly became the institutional memory and invaluable in all of Black + Motal’s marketing and proposal efforts.
During her tenure, Stephi completed the Professional Bachelor of Architecture program at the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduating, in 2004, she took an ever-increasing role in the firm’s design projects. With a deep understanding of the design process and Black + Motal’s guiding principles, she quickly became the lead project manager. Her clients enjoy working with her so much that several have returned for additional collaboration. The skills and character that drive her client’s appreciation also make her a stellar mentor to her younger team members.
Since achieving licensure in 2013, Stephi has served the profession on a variety of committees and board positions for both the Texas Society of Architects and AIA Austin, including as chapter president in 2021, and as chair for TxA’s Government Affairs Steering Committee. Currently, Stephi is the 2026 President-Elect for the Texas Society of Architects.
Sinclair Black has many talents: as an architect, educator, author, and urban designer. His design work stems from years of study of the vernacular architecture of Central Texas with design intentions that celebrate and preserve the particulars of the region. He is deeply involved in the community affairs of Austin and has achieved widespread recognition for his efforts on behalf of Austin’s natural and man-made environments. His talents have earned him hundreds of awards and distinctions, including recognition from the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.
Email: Sinclair Black
Heyden Black Walker (MSCRP '87) is continuing the Black + Vernooy family legacy of local urban design and community advocacy. Together with her father, Sinclair Black, she created Reconnect Austin, a community-based call to lower the main lanes of I-35 through downtown Austin, creating a vision of the highway rebuild that reconnects neighborhoods while providing multi-modal access to jobs, medical facilities, transit, and civic resources.
With the goal of equity in transportation and increased access for all, Heyden also donates her time and advocacy efforts to the City of Austin Pedestrian Advisory Council (member), the Congress for the New Urbanism – Central Texas Chapter (secretary, Board of Directors), Vision Zero ATX (member), and the City of Austin Design Commission (former commissioner). Heyden is a 2016 fellow of the national Walking College.
Sophia started working at Black + Motal in July 2018, while still a student at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. After graduating in 2019, she began working full time, and enjoyed one on one drawing sessions with Sinclair, celebrating our office’s appreciation for hand drawing. She was raised in the DC Metropolitan Area, which has nurtured her passion for urban design at all scales and led to her involvement in AIA’s Urban Design Committee. Sophia also serves as an ambassador for the AIA Homes Tour Committee where she is able to combine the efforts of both committees to advocate for Missing Middle Housing in Austin. She is currently working toward her architectural license and enjoys her time spent on Custom Residential work with B+M.
Email: Sophia Fleshman, Assoc. AIA
Priya Patel works as a city planner and urban designer at Black + Vernooy Architecture and Urban Design. She has considerable experience working on a wide variety of small scale to large scale planning and design projects. She provides assistance with the project’s design process: which includes research, analysis, preparation of design documents as well as presentation materials, and final reports. Priya recently graduated with a dual-degree Master’s from the University of Texas at Austin in the School of Architecture. Her dual Master of Science degrees is in City & Regional Planning and Urban Design. Her dual master’s research at UT focused on the development of sustainable urban ecosystems, including stormwater management and low-impact development (LID) techniques. She previously completed her five-year undergraduate studies in Architecture from Vadodara Design Academy: School of Architecture, (Gujarat University) and is licensed to practice architecture in India.
Priya’s interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of design gives her the technical capability and creative capacity to work on solving some of the biggest challenges facing our cities today. She is a board of directors alternate for CNU, Central Texas Chapter, and serves on the Education and Outreach Committee.
Briana has worked with Black + Motal since 2019. She was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and spent her weekends with her mother exploring parks, riding bikes throughout the neighborhood, and visiting art and science museums.
In addition to pursuing her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin, she studied nanotechnology in Japan, conducted research on urban farming in Brazil and Germany, as well as multi-modal transportation in Spain. Knowledge is her passion, and she plans to utilize her multidisciplinary education in becoming a transformative architect in the future.
At Black + Motal, Briana specializes in drafting, construction documents, and building 3D models as a design tool and aiding clients in visualization. Briana has designed a winning entry for the UMLAUF sculpture competition and has found success in building 3D environments and master plan renderings for Reconnect Austin and other advocacy initiatives. She has found great passion in bringing concepts and visions to life through 3D modeling and rendering.
In her free time, Briana enjoys building towers and learning about dinosaurs with her son, reading fairy tales and singing to her daughter, and baking pastries for friends and family. She encourages her children to be curious, ask questions, and embrace all forms of art, science, and nature.
Cindy Bui is a 2025 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. She joined Black + Motal Architects as an intern in early 2024 and brings with her a deep curiosity for how architecture can support more sustainable futures. Originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Cindy’s passion for the creative arts was sparked at a young age while watching her aunt work as an interior designer. This early exposure to spatial design and aesthetics developed into a lifelong appreciation for the creative process and led her to pursue a career in architecture. During her time at UT, she concentrated her efforts on how architecture can support healthier, more connected communities. Her academic work explored how food production and urban living can coexist through smart, sustainable design. This research continues to inform her approach to projects — always looking for opportunities to bring function, beauty, and purpose together.
Email: Cindy Bui